FG bows to labour, to send minimum wage bill to NASS Jan 23

NLC President, Ayuba Wabba and Shehu Sani, senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District during the mass protest of NLC in Abuja on Tuesday.

THE Federal Government on Tuesday bowed to pressure from the organised labour by setting the date it would transmit a bill for the N30,000 minimum wage to the National Assembly.

The Presidency would effect the transmission of the recommended minimum wage to the National Assembly on January 23, 2019.

This was the outcome of a meeting between representatives of the Federal Government, led by Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige and leaders of organized labour also led by President of Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Ayuba Wabba in Abuja.

Talks between government representatives and labour leaders on how to avert an impending nationwide strike over the minimum wage crisis collapsed last Friday. Another meeting fixed for Monday, January 7, 2019, could not hold.

The labour body on Monday announcedthat it would mobilise its members across the country for a mass protest to force the government to yield to its demand.

However, Tuesday’s meeting held after labour leaders led their members on a mass protest in Abuja against the Federal Government over the delay in implementing the N30,000 minimum wage for workers.

The meeting held between 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment.

While both the government and labour teams agreed on the date for the transmission of the minimum wage bill to the National Assembly, the labour union warned it would not tolerate a breach.

The Congress further warned that the process would be reviewed with necessary actions taken without reverting to the government.

Speaking during the meeting, NLC President Ayuba Wabba, urged the government to keep to the date so that the process could be completed.

On November 7, 2018, the tripartite committee on the review of the national minimum wage submitted its report to President Muhammadu Buhari, recommending that the sum of N30,000 be adopted as the new national minimum wage.

While presenting the report to the President, chairperson of the committee, former Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Ama Pepple, noted that the government representatives on the committee had suggested N24,000, but the panel recommended N30,000 as the new national minimum wage of the country.